Community roots on Remi

PORT CLINTON — Many people cheered for Port Clinton. Others backed Huron. Yet everyone in attendance, more than 1,000 people, rallied behind a boy who's shown nothing but bravery, courage and determination — all while maintaining his characteristic sunny disposition — during a challenging, strenuous period. Even though the Tigers and Redskins each feature a red and white color scheme, scores of fans on both sides wore gold to support Remi Floro, 4. Rallying around Remi In mid-2025, doctors diagnosed Remi with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His body, in a nutshell, produces too many abnormal white blood cells in his bone marrow. This abnormality means he can't fight infections properly, and it can spread to other parts of the body, causing various health problems. Remi's mother, Payton Herevia, a 2018 Port Clinton High School graduate, routinely publicizes updates about her son's condition on the Rooting for Remi Facebook page, which garners a significant amount of attention each time she posts. Many people, including Port Clinton Schools officials, took notice and decided to assist Payton while uplifting Remi. So Payton's alma mater hosted its first gold-out game on Friday, Sept. 25, coinciding with Port Clinton's varsity football team hosting Huron at True Lay Stadium. Tributes included: • Students involved with Port Clinton's spirit squad presented Remi with his own custom jersey. It included his name with the No. 1 on it. • Port Clinton football's captains walked, side by side, with Remi and Payton to take part in the pregame coin toss at midfield. • The school named Remi as Friday's honorary captain. • An acknowledgement from the public address announcer to clue in people about Remi and his year-plus-long battle. After the coin toss, when players retreated to their sidelines, Remi found himself alone, jumping for joy as both sides gave him a standing ovation — the loudest cheers of the night, even overtaking Port Clinton's Christian Miller returning an interception for 101 yards and a touchdown to seal a 35-21 victory. "Friday night gave our family a memory we'll hold onto forever," said Payton, crediting her dad, Daniel Herevia, as Remi's most vocal cheerleader. "So much of Remi's life has revolved around treatment and hospital visits — and, that night, he got to be a little boy, enjoying something exciting with an entire community cheering him on." A golden game The timing for a gold-out game worked well on Sept. 25, considering: • September marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, designated to shine a light on pediatric cancer. • Leukemia and lymphoma represent the most common form of cancer diagnosis in children. • Gold serves as an official unifying color. This marked Port Clinton's first time hosting a gold-out game. "Our community has a history of coming together for those in need," district superintendent Pat Adkins said. "We wanted to bring awareness to childhood cancer while, at the same time, recognizing the courage of Remi and his family, which we were able to do Friday night," Adkins added. "We appreciate the Huron community and students joining us by participating in our gold out. Port Clinton is a special place with a community that supports those who need it. We were honored to play a small role." Port Clinton representatives also collected money for Remi throughout the night, which included a dash for cash between the third and fourth quarters. In total, the district raised nearly $2,700, which went to Blood Cancer United, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting blood cancer worldwide. This adds to the more than $800 generated through special gold T-shirts made specifically for this game. It reads, "Because kids can't find alone, tackle childhood cancer" with the Rooting for Remi phrase curved around a football. Remi and Payton instantly donated all funds back to Blood Cancer United's local chapter as a thank you for its unrelenting support. "Every year, the local Blood Cancer United chapter chooses someone with blood cancer to be its honored hero," Payton said. "Last year, Remi was recognized as a local child living with blood cancer who receives assistance from the organization. This year, he was chosen as the Toledo chapter's honored hero. It's been really special to have his story help raise awareness and support for other families like ours." Justin Reynolds, the local chapter's campaign manager, expressed his deepest gratitude to Payton and Remi for their generosity. Reynolds accepted the funds on the field from the two on Friday. Reynolds noted every donation, including from the gold-out game, supports the nonprofit's patient care research. Remi, in fact, has used the nonprofit's services. "We appreciate what they did to give back and bring awareness," Reynolds said. "It's just great what they did." Reviewing Remi's condition Payton also provided an update on Remi and his condition: • The background: "Remi was diagnosed with high-risk T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in June 2025. He reached remission, and we hoped treatment was moving us toward a more normal life. Then, this July, we learned his leukemia had returned. He spent about a month in the hospital receiving treatment, and, in August, we were told he was in remission again. We're waiting on the results of his most recent bone marrow biopsy now." • The emotional roller coaster: "There have been so many highs and lows. We celebrate every bit of good news, but there is always another test, treatment or worry ahead. At the same time, strangers have become friends, and we've made memories I'm grateful Remi gets to have." • The donor: "Remi is scheduled to be admitted for his bone marrow transplant on Oct. 5, and I will be his donor. His preparation includes radiation, which is something he has never had before. We expect to be away from home for two to three months through his transplant and recovery. It's a lot to take in, so we're moving through the appointments and preparations one day at a time." • The lessons learned: "I've learned how much I can do for Remi, even when I'm exhausted or scared. I'm his mom, but I've also had to become his advocate. I've learned how much strength he has, and I've watched our family find ways to keep going on the hardest days. Other cancer families have taught me so much, too. We hear each other's stories and understand things that can be hard to explain to anyone else. We share little hacks and ideas that make daily life easier, and we look for ways to support one another through the hard parts. Those relationships have meant so much to me." • The community support: "Much of what people see on Remi's page has come from reaching out, telling his story and asking our community to get involved. The response has meant so much to us. Seeing Port Clinton go gold and the school include Remi in Friday night's game is incredibly special. It doesn't make the fear of transplant disappear, but it gives us something joyful to hold onto right before we leave. I want Remi to look around that night and see how many people are rooting for him." • The positive attitude: "Remi keeps pushing through. He is so strong. In the days between transplant preparations, we've been doing normal things and exciting things, and it has been so nice to watch him enjoy them. He's happy. He loves music, playing drums and being around people, and I love seeing him get to just be 4 years old." • The approach to life: "Remi isn't enrolled in school right now, but we do teach him as much as we can from home. Education has always been important to us. We tried to enroll him twice, but each time his diagnosis and the risks that came with it meant we had to pull him out. I would love for him to attend kindergarten next year. We've been told his immune system could take approximately 12 months to fully recover after transplant, so he may have to miss the first half of the school year. We're taking that one day at a time and will see what's possible when we get there." • The hope for him: "I want Remi to grow up and experience all the things he's interested in. I want to see him in school, playing the sports he loves and being part of a team. I hope he gets to attend a Twenty One Pilots concert someday. Their music has carried him through so much of treatment, and I would love to see him experience it live. I want him to have friendships and the freedom to discover who he is outside of treatment. And I hope he keeps the kindness he already has. Giving to people who need it has become important to us, and I hope he carries that same heart with him as he grows." • The call for people to help: "Anyone can continue spreading awareness about childhood cancer, advocating for the children and supporting the organizations that help families and fund research. Share other children's stories, too, not just Remi's. Reach out to a family, ask what they need or help someone else learn about childhood cancer. Support and awareness can start with you, and one person speaking up can encourage a whole community to get involved." People can visit linktr.ee/remistrong to purchase items and directly donate to Remi. Additional information will be posted on the Facebook page "Rooting For Remi" under the events section. It's there where people can also receive updates and follow along with Remi's journey toward recovery. • The role model: "As a self-employed hairstylist at Halo Beauty Lounge in Sandusky, I don't receive paid leave or benefits. I've been by his side every single day. We take things one day at a time, sometimes one minute at a time. (But) I found the strength to show up for Remi. He needed a strong mom, and I vowed to be that for him. Through every hospital stay, every needle, every meltdown and every hard day, he's shown a kind of resilience most adults never have to summon. He's been knocked down, but he never stays down. Watching him fight through this has changed everything I thought I knew about strength. He's been through more in (one year) than most go through in a lifetime — and somehow, he still laughs, still smiles, still loves with his whole heart."